Band saw and guide therefor



Feb. 10, 1953 HQUTTE ETAL 2,627,881

BAND SAW AND GUIDE THEREFOR Filed July 18,.1949

' INVENTORS Fi 34 RALPH J. HOUTTE RUSSELL E. SCHWARZENBERG BY EMATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 10, 1953 BAND SAW AND GUIDE THEREFOR Ralph J.Houtte, North Andover, and Russell E.

Schwarzenberg, Methuen, Mass.

Application July 18, 1949, Serial No. 105,330

This invention relates to a band saw combined with a shaper tool on thesame work platform in such a way that the operator can use either saw orshaper at will.

The motor and operating pulleys of our saw and shaper are confined in ahousing beneath the work platform. One of the objects of the device isto permit the use of either saw or shaper without danger of injury fromthe tool not being used and without the necessity of opening the housingto change to one tool from the other.

A further object of our device is to provide a compact portable band sawmechanism with an improved apparatus for mounting the upper pulley andblade guides which also functions as a brake and release for the bandsaw blade when the shaper tool is in use.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of our new band saw.

Fig. 2 is an elevation, partly in section, of the upper pulley carryingarm of the band saw.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevation, in section, illustrating the mannerin which the band saw blade of our device is stopped when the shapertool is in use, and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view sectionalized to show the relation of theparts of our device.

In Fig. l, H is the housing and P, the work platform of our device, theplatform P being split into two portions in and l I, meeting at the line[2. Within housing H is an electric motor M having a pulley 14 connectedby a belt l5 to a pulley IS on a shaft I! mounted transversely of thehousing. The lower band saw pulley I8 is fixed to shaft l1 and the shaftalso carries a pulley l 9 connected by a belt 20 to a pulley 2| onshaper tool holder 22.

The shaper tool 5 is removably mounted in any suitable manner in a toolsocket 23 in 22 and socket 23 is directly beneath a hole 24 in the partI!) of work platform P.

An upright cylindrical post 30 is fixed within the housing H andprojects through a hole 3! in platform P to a point above the platform.Sleeve 40, a lower horizontal arm M, is mounted on post 30, beneathplatform P, and shaft I! is journalled in the end of arm 4|.

We provide an upper horizontal arm 50, having an inverted cylindricalsocket 5|, at one end, which fits over the top 52 and upper portion 53of post 30. A threaded recess 54 is provided preferably in the centre ofthe top 52 for engagement with a threaded stem 55 of adjusting screw 56,the adjusting screw 56 being revoluble 1 Claim. (Cl. 143-17) in a hole51 in the base 58 of socket 5|. A nonthreaded recess 59 is also providedin top 52 for engagement with a depending rod 60 fixed in the base 58 ofsocket 5|. Rod 60 prevents the arm 58 from rotating about post 30 whenscrew 56 is turned and also acts as a guide in installing the socket onpost 30. A set screw 62 mounted in the side wall of the socket andbearing against post 30 may also be used to lock theparts in position. f

The upper cone pulley m for band saw blade H is revolubly mounted at 12,intermediate of arm 5%, and directly above the lower cone'pulley 18.Both pulleys are of greater diameter on one side 13 than on the otherside 14 so that the blade H will tend to climb toward side 13 and thusremain on the pulleys. At the free end 15 of arm 5%, we provide a clamp16, which may be a set screw, so that a vertical arm Ti may be retainedat various heights above platform P. The lower portion of 11 carries apair of roller guides l8, 19, on a head 80, there being a set screw 81for clamping the head at various angles to arm ll. The blade H passesbetween rollers l8, 19 in a well known manner and through suitable slotsin split [2 between parts HI and II of platform P.

Head 8%, carrying roller guides 18, 19, may be rotated in eitherdirection to close or widen the gap between rollers for differentthicknesses of blades. For example as shown in Fig. 4 head may besubstantially horizontal in which case the gap between roller guides l8,i9 is at the maximum. When head 80 is rotated at an angle to thehorizontal, as indicated in Fig. 2, the gap is reduced to place eachroller in contact with an opposite side of the blade H.

It Will be noted that the motor M, operating pulleys Hi, [6, l8, l9 and2|, the belts and shaper tool holder 22 and socket 23 of our device areall contained within housing H and below platform P. The band saw blade1!, may be adjusted to the proper tension by loosening set screw 62 andrevolving set screw 56 until suitable tension is achieved. A guard suchas 90, having an angle iron extension 9! may then be slid over the upperportion of the device if desired.

If the band saw is to be used, shaper tool 5 is removed from hole 24 andsocket 23 of holder 22 and the electric switch is moved to the on"position. The vertical adjustment of socket 5| on post 30 by screw 56,not only moves upper pulley 10, but simultaneously moves the rollerguides 18 and 19 a corresponding amount thus automatically keeping theroller guides at the preferred distance from the pulley. With the shapertool removed from its socket, there is no danger of the operator beingcut thereby while using the band saw.

If the shaper tool is to be used, the set screw 62 may be loosened andset screw 56 turned to lower arm 50 until rollers 18 or 19 strikeplatform P. The band saw blade II is thus not only removedirom contactwith lower pulley l8, as shown in Fig. 3, but is brought to a completeand positive stop by the inability of rollers 18 and 19 to revolve whilein contact with platform P. The shaper tool may then be inserted, whilethe motor is stopped, and upon the motor being started, the shaper maybe used without fear of injury to the operator from the band saw blade.The band saw blade such as 'H is normally of less thickness than the gapbetween rollers 18 and 19 and the head 80 is therefore normally inclinedas indicated in Fig. 2 to bring each roller in contact with the blade.Thus the lowest roller 18 or 19 will contact the platform P first and beprevented from revolving thereby.

In shifting from the use of the shaper to the use of the band saw, orvice versa, it is therefore only necessary toinsert or remove the shapertool and to raise-or lower the arm 50 of the band saw. It is. notnecessary to remove the work platform to gain, access to the interior ofthe housing in order to change the power transfer mechanism nor is anycomplicated and expensive clutch. necessary as inv prior devices.

We claim:

In a band saw having a work platform; a lower pulley for the band sawblade located below the work platform and an upright cylindrical postprojecting above the platform; the combination of an horizontal arm withan inverted'cylindrical socket fitting around the upper portion of thepost; a threaded member, adapted to raise and lower said horizontal armon said post, projecting downwardly from the base of the socket and inthreaded engagement with a first recess in the top of the post; a rodprojecting downwardly from the socket base and in sliding engagementwith a second recess in the top of the post; an upper pulley for theband saw blade revolubly mounted intermediate of said horizontal armabove the lower pulley; an adjustable clamp at the free end of saidhorizontal arm; a vertical arm mounted in said clamp, and a pair of bandsaw guide rollers, mounted at the lowermost end of said, vertical arm,at least one of said rollers contacting the work platform when saidhorizontal arm is in its lower position on said post.

RALPH J. HOUTTE. RUSSELL E. SCHV/ARZENBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,482,013 Jarvis Jan. 29, 19241,700,702 Kittle Jan. 29, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 197651 Great Britain Apr. 3. 1924.

